Christmas at Sun Valley

Author's note:

Thank you to the wonderful, breathtakingly handsome Brit for the super-quick turnaround on this story.

To my readers, this story was written at the request of some of you. I hope you enjoy it, and them VOTE to help me win the Holiday Winter Contest, and COMMENT to let me know your thoughts!

xoxo,

Annie

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She was having a deliciously sexy dream. Warm lips were kissing along her shoulder toward her neck, licking and nibbling, as if she were too tempting not to taste. A big hand was stroking her naked side lazily, its roughened skin awakening her nerve endings in remembered pleasure.

Leanne inhaled deeply, and her lungs filled with earthy, male scent.

Joe. Last night. It wasn't a dream.

Her mind fumbled to sew patches of memories into coherence. An unfamiliar sensation tickled her brain, and she thumbed the delicate ring on her finger.

Ah!

Leanne exhaled loudly and rolled to her back, blinking her eyes open. Joe seemed hesitant in the almost-darkness, even as his hand slid across her belly and then up, taking advantage of her new position to cup her breast.

"Hey there, princess."

His eyes searched hers. She wasn't sure what his reservations were all about, but now that she remembered, she herself had none whatsoever.

"Hey, cowboy."

She smiled and stretched, pushing her soft flesh more fully into his hand, and wiggled her hips until his morning erection nudged at her side. Her grin widened and she reached for it, wrapping her fingers around him. Joe hissed, and thrust into her loose fist.

"Argh, God, Leanne..."

She started stroking him lightly, relishing the feel of velvety skin gliding over his rigid shaft. Joe shifted half-over her, his knee nudging hers open, though he kept his weight on his arms and knees so as not to crush her. Leanne's smile turned wicked as she made full use of the extra room for movement.

Joe closed his eyes and groaned low. "Leanne, please, just - wait a second okay?"

She paused mid-stroke, but didn't release her grip. "What's wrong?"

"You sure it's safe?"

Her smile faltered, and she bit her lip. "I feel fine after last night."

Joe looked uneasy, but determined. "I didn't know last night, baby. Let's play it safe until we ask your doctor, okay?" At her disappointed nod, his lips curled into a little smile. "Good thing we know some... non-invasive techniques, hmm?"

A giggle escaped her. "I like the way you think, cowboy!" She gave his dick an approving squeeze before resuming her teasing strokes. Her other hand curled at his nape to bring his head closer and whisper in his ear. "My skills may be little rusty... maybe you could remind me how it's done?"

His cock jumped in her grip even as he moved over her, held her head in place with both his hands, and bent to seize her lips with his.

*

Her hand stilled as she focused on his kiss, and Joe was grateful. He had to keep his head, even if he couldn't stop - he needed her too much; needed the closeness and intimacy of lovemaking to reassure him that they really were back together, that she had agreed to be his forever.

But he was too close to the edge of his self-control. Tugging at her hand, he pressed it to the pillow above her head before finding her other and bringing it up, too, so he could hold them in one of his own.

"Yes, I did promise you some tutoring, didn't I?"

Leanne whimpered. Joe bent and placed hot, open-mouthed kisses along her neck and shoulder, making her squirm and turn her head away to grant him full access, even when her knees opened and she tilted her hips in unmistakable invitation.

He smiled against her skin and brought his fingers to her mouth. "Remember the first tip I gave you?"

She grinned and took two of his fingers between her lips, using her tongue to coat them with saliva.

"Mmm, very good." Joe withdrew his fingers, reached down between her thighs, and started stroking gently at the seam of her slit. His middle finger slipped in-between the outer folds to glide along the softness inside, and her eyes widened. He kept his movements smooth and steady, timing them to the beat of her pulse at her throat, gradually increasing in pace. Their eyes locked. Leanne trembled with pleasure under his touch, her pupils so distended he could see her soul.

His lubricated, callused pad found that spot right under her clit that he remembered drove her crazy, and pressed it in tiny circles. Leanne trembled and her pussy creamed, making his fingers glide faster. It was Joe's turn to shudder. He repeated the minute motion over and over until her breath caught in her lungs and her inner muscles squeezed, and a small gush of slippery heat soaked his fingertips.

"Come here, baby. I need a taste. Straddle me."

At her disoriented look Joe chuckled, and helped her maneuver into place above him, facing his torso. Her slim thighs framed his head, her pussy inches from his face as she leaned forward, and his palms moved to the creases of her hips to take some of her weight. He spread her open with his thumbs, exposing the pink perfection hiding under her patch of soft blonde curls.

Joe breathed in her sweet, salty scent and raised his head to swipe the flat of his tongue between her creamy labia. Her taste filled his mouth and he pulled her closer for a deeper lick, his nose nudging her opening, so lost to sensation it took a moment to register the sudden heat that engulfed his own sex.

He threw his head back and cried out with acute pleasure when she sucked him into her mouth while one soft hand wrapped tightly around his base, jerking in time to her bobbing head.

"Fuck, princess, slow down... it's too good!" he begged hoarsely.

At first it seemed she didn't hear him, or if she did, was not going to abide. But after a few more agonizingly sweet moments she raised her head, releasing him with a pop, and twisted to look at him over her shoulder, her hand going back to slow, teasing pumps.

"You sure about that, cowboy?"

Absolutely not, he thought, but all he did was hold her eyes as he raised his head to suck her flesh into his mouth, hoping it felt half as good to her as it did him.

She moaned and lowered her torso so that she lay on top of him and returned to his cock, licking his whole length like a kitten, occasionally pausing to suckle only his head between her lips, tasting his pre-cum.

With effort, he focused his attention on the sweet pussy grinding his face. He loved how honest she was in her lovemaking, how unashamed of her needs. When she wanted a deeper touch she simply asked for it, with her body if not with words. Joe wrapped his arms around her and pulled even closer to bury his face between her thighs, sucking deeper, only drawing back for quick stolen breaths before returning for more.

Her movements were becoming less coordinated as she got close to her climax. Joe kept going as she threw her head back and pressed herself into his mouth, her thighs shaky, crying out her need. He kept going as her pussy seemed to swell against his tongue, and then contracted repeatedly, filling his mouth with fresh girl cum. His arms tightened as she bucked and jerked over him, at the same time trying to get closer and move away from the overwhelming sensations, until finally, slowly, her orgasm subsided and she slumped, breathing hard, over him.

He rested his own head back on the pillow and tried to rein in his raging desire long enough to let her catch her breath. There was nothing he wanted more at that moment than to flip her over onto her back and bury himself balls deep inside her tight body, but that wasn't an option right then. Not until they knew it was safe, with the baby.

God, she was carrying his baby.

The thought sobered him enough to take the edge off. What happened to slow and easy?! he could swear that was his intention when he woke her up that morning. Now he had to consciously relax his muscles and control his breathing as he pushed her gently and then rolled her to her back, moving to lie between her thighs with his weight carefully on his elbows.

She smiled up at him, her eyes unfocused and glazed over. "Wow." she muttered laughingly, and cupped his cheeks with her hands, her thumbs tracing the slippery wetness on his cheeks, nose and lips. He grinned at her awestruck expression.

"You're welcome, princess." He grumbled, and shifted so that the length of his dick rested along her slit, sandwiched between her swollen outer folds and his own abdomen, and started to move slowly.

Leanne hissed as his hard shaft pressed against her over-sensitive clitoris, and Joe stilled.

"Too much?" he asked, trembling with the effort to keep from grinding again.

She moved carefully against him. "God it's so intense... no, not too much. Please don't stop."

Thank God, he thought, even as he let his body take over. He rubbed himself against her slowly, fully, savoring every expression on her pretty, flushed face in the dim light filtering through the heavy hotel room curtains. The way she smiled and her eyes half-rolled back with pleasure. The way she bit her lips when it got so overwhelming it was borderline uncomfortable. The way she gasped mutely and arched, forcing them in closer contact still. The way she opened her eyes to lock their gazes, and begged him to go faster. Harder.

Pleasure mounted, boiling in his heavy balls with every stroke, every glide of his cock against her soft, wet pussy, until it erupted, his cum spewing between them to land in thick, white ropes on her sweet belly, one jet shooting far enough to catch her puckered nipple.

Leanne's body shook and her hands tightened on his ass, and he realized she was coming again, grinding jerkily up against his still-pulsating shaft. His eyes flew up to her face to watch her open-mouthed ecstasy. If he hadn't just come, he would have at that moment, from seeing that.

With a deep grunt he rolled to his back and took her with him, holding her body close to his as she continued to squeeze against him every few moments, thankfully humping his hip now instead of his spent, too-sensitive dick. He chuckled and hugged her, pulling her to rest her head on his chest, making the sticky cum on her belly rub into his own skin.

"I'm getting you all messy," she protested half-heartedly, and he suppressed another chuckle and looked into her not-quite worried eyes.

"That means you did it right, baby," he smiled. "But just so you know, the shower here is phenomenal. Wanna share?"

Leanne nodded a bit shyly, and he was reminded how relatively new all this was to her. She had bloomed in their two months together over the summer from a blushing, if enthusiastic, virgin into a confident, adventurous, sexy woman; but the following months apart seemed to have reinstated some of her self-doubts. He was determined to help rid her of them, for good this time.

"Come on. Let's get cleaned up. We've got a big day ahead."

He stood and held out his hand, and Leanne took it and stood, too, but he could see her gnawing at her lower lip. With a deep sigh, he pulled her back into his arms.

"What's worrying you, baby?"

"You know. The appointment. I mean, what if something's wrong?"

"Do you feel like there's something wrong?" he asked gently.

She shook her head, and he bent to kiss her lightly. "Then let's not assume that, okay? If there's anything that needs facing then we'll do it, together." He stressed that last word, and she nodded mutely.

With a reassuring smile he tugged her hand, and she followed him into the fancy en-suite.

*

They arrived at the doctor's office with a half-hour to spare. Leanne spent the first few minutes filling out various forms, and then left Joe in the waiting room, which was still decorated in full Halloween spirit, to follow the nurse inside.

She was given a plastic cup with her details stickered on it, and instruction to leave her urine sample on the tray. Once that was done, the nurse measured her weight and blood pressure, and then gestured for her to go back outside and wait for Dr. Shanti to call her in.

"Dr. Shanti?" Joe raised his eyebrows at that. "What kind of a name is that for a doctor? Are you sure she is legit?"

Leanne scowled at him. "She helped Elaine deliver both the twins and Sofia, so, yeah, I'm sure."

"Sorry." He mumbled apologetically. "I just wasn't expecting a-"

"A foreign name?"

He shrugged, and Leanne pursed her lips. After a moment of awkward silence, she half-turned to him, holding his eyes. "You know, this really pisses me off."

"What?" he tried to look innocent, but she could see the hint of shame in his eyes. Good. At least he realized he was being a bigoted pig. Still, she couldn't let it go with that. It hit too close to home.

"You assuming Dr. Shanti is less than qualified because of her name, that's what." She swallowed hard, and dropped her head, unwilling to show him the full extent of her hurt when she added quietly - "You might as well have called her a 'bad seed'."

Silence greeted her words, and then gentle fingers took hold of her chin and tilted it up so that he could meet her eyes.

"I'm sorry." He repeated quietly. "For saying that. I should never have done that."

"You thought it, Joe. That's the part that hurt the most. You believed it. You said that as a farmer, you knew nothing good ever came out of a bad seed." She gulped. "You looked at me, but you didn't even see me. All you could see was William Richardson's daughter. And you hated me every bit as you hated him. I saw it in your eyes."

Her voice was anguished. She knew it was probably the wrong place and the wrong time to open it, but she couldn't hold back.

Joe dropped his gaze. "I was hurt, Leanne." He said, and then looked at her. "I felt betrayed, and so freakin' angry it felt like I'd explode. I lashed out because I wanted you to hurt as bad as I did." He shook his head helplessly. "It was juvenile and wrong, I know that. And I really am sorry."

He reached for her hand and after a moment's hesitation she let him take it, needing his touch as much as he needed hers.

"I almost didn't tell you about the baby because of it." She admitted in a low voice, and ignored his audible gasp as she met his eyes. "Think about it. If I was 'bad seed' for having the blood of your mother's killer in my veins - well, so does my baby. He or she will be his grandchild."

Joe paled, and she watched warily as he processed it in his mind. But after a moment he said quietly, "It will be my mother's grandchild, too."

She bit her lips, and nodded. Joe drew her into his arms, and this time she went willingly, burying her face in the crook of his neck as his hands smoothed over her back, pressing her close

"Forgive me, please." he murmured in her ear, and she squeezed him tight and nodded, unable to answer in words. Joe exhaled his relief, and kissed her head. "Thank you." She nodded again.

*

"Dr. Shanti will see you now."

Joe drew back reluctantly at the nurse's professionally cheerful voice. He saw Leanne wipe her cheeks surreptitiously, but didn't comment, and instead got up to his feet and held out his hand.

They walked into the clean, airy, well-organized office with its large bay window overlooking UC Davis's main campus, which lay across Russell Boulevard. Across the desk sat one of the most strikingly beautiful middle-aged women Joe had ever seen. Her dark brown hair fell in thick waves to just below her shoulders, and her chocolate-colored eyes, large and almond-shaped, smiled at them in kind reassurance. She motioned for them to have a seat, and then reached her hand out to Leanne.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Shanti Jain, and you must be Leanne Sommers. Elaine had told me you are like a daughter to her, and that I was to treat you as such. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Joe saw Leanne blink rapidly as she shook the doctor's hand. "Thank you, doctor. And thank you for taking me on without health insurance." She paused and threw an undecided look his way before resuming. "I cannot tell you how much I appreciate it."

Shit. She didn't have insurance. He needed to take care of that ASAP. He could probably extend her insurance from her seasonal position at the farm if he acted quickly. He needed to consult with Tammy. His sister would know; as head of HR and CFO at Sun Valley, this kind of thing was her bread and butter.

"And you must be the expectant father?" Dr. Shanti's voice broke through his jumbled thoughts and he coughed and then shook her hand. "Yes, ma'am. I mean, doctor." He stuttered. Dr. Shanti smiled.

"I know you two must be anxious. First check-up is always stressful, so let's keep the conversation for later, and start off with the exam, shall we?"

At their nods, Dr. Shanti got up and walked over to a curtained-off section of her office, and pulled the divider back to reveal a gynecologist's chair surrounded by all kinds of high-tech looking medical devices.

"All right, Leanne, please remove your pants and your panties and put on this gown for me, and then have a seat and cover yourself with this paper sheet. Let me know when you're ready, okay?"

Leanne moved behind the curtain and pulled it closed, and they could hear the rustle of clothes and papers. Joe felt his anxiety and excitement rising in tandem, and started pacing the tiny office. Dr. Shanti gave him a knowing, amused look, but didn't comment as she walked over to the office door and locked it, lest someone came in at an inconvenient moment.

"I'm ready." Leanne sounded and Dr. Shanti pulled the curtain open again, but stopped Joe before he could follow her.

"I'm just going to give her a quick routine checkup before moving on to the ultrasound." She gave him a polite but firm look. "I'll invite you in for that."

Joe stepped back and let her close the privacy divider in his face, feeling decidedly left out. He listened to the sounds coming from the other side; Dr. Shanti's gentle but direct voice telling Leanne to scoot all the way to the end and put her feet up in the stirrups, and then her murmured apology for the discomfort and her advice to 'try and relax' as she proceeded to check her up.

After a few moments, though, he heard her say "Okay, we're all good! Let's see how your baby's doing, shall we?" and, at Leanne's hum of consent, he was ushered inside.

He stood next to Leanne's side and took her hand, knowing his palm was sweaty but unable to do anything about that fact. He was nervous as hell. Leanne squeezed his fingers, and he realized she was anxious, too. It somehow made him feel better. Dr. Shanti switched on the ultrasound machine and then took the probe in her hand, squeezed some gel on top, and then peeled back the paper covering Leanne's lap to expose her lower abdomen, and squeezed some gel there as well.

"I am doing transabdominal and not transvaginal because based on the date of your last menstrual period you should be far enough along for that." She clarified as she started moving the probe around. Leanne nodded.

"Let's see what we've got here," Dr. Shanti said, and rolled a little closer to Leanne to get a better angle with her arm. A moment later a bleary, black-and-white image appeared on the screen, and everyone's eyes were riveted to it. At first there seemed to be nothing, only white noise. But then a large black bubble-like shape appeared, and inside it, something that looked like a greyish-white, plump peanut.

"There it is." Dr. Shanti said with evident satisfaction, and moved her probe some more. The peanut changed slightly to reveal a larger, rounder side that looked decidedly like a head - complete with a recognizable baby profile! - and some additional bumps coming out of the smaller part.